International
Bolsonaro returns to Brazil after spending three months in Florida
March 30 |
Former President Jair Bolsonaro returned to Brazil on Thursday after a three-month stay in Florida, seeking a new role in politics and as authorities in the capital prepared for the return of the right-wing populist leader.
Hundreds of supporters dressed in yellow and green chanted while waiting in the country’s capital, Brasilia, where the far-right leader is the subject of several investigations. The Federal District security secretariat mobilized hundreds of police officers and the Esplanade of the Ministries was closed to avoid crowds of Bolsonaro supporters.
Bolsonaro left Brazil just before his term ended. In doing so, he broke with tradition of handing over the presidential sash to his successor, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who won the October election by the closest margin since Brazil’s return to democracy some three decades earlier.
During his time in the United States, Bolsonaro generally kept a low profile, although he gave several speeches to Brazilian expatriates and conservatives, including one at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Maryland.
For the first time in 30 years, the lawmaker-turned-president was not holding elected office.
“I am without a mandate, but I am not retired,” Bolsonaro told the Jovem Pan television network on Monday.
Before boarding a flight to Brazil from Orlando International Airport, he told CNN Brazil that he did not plan to lead the political opposition to Lula, a claim not believed by his allies.
Hundreds of supporters gathered early Thursday morning at the Brasilia International Airport. They chanted against Lula and repeated the slogan of a protest that sparked the dictatorship in Brazil between 1964 and 1985: God, family and freedom.
However, they could not see the ex-president leaving through the main exit and instead braved the morning traffic to gather outside the headquarters of his Liberal Party to show their enthusiasm.
“Bolsonaro was the best president we have ever had, I have never seen a government like his,” said Marinalva Wanderley, 71, who brought five members of her family from Sao Paulo to the Liberal Party headquarters. “I think he was in the United States with Donald Trump to see what is best for Brazil and the United States. We will have much greater opposition (to Lula), that’s for sure”.
Bolsonaro was expected to speak to lawmakers in a private meeting later on Thursday. His party said in a statement that he was not expected to deliver a speech.
A horde of supporters of the former president stormed and ransacked the capital’s most important government buildings on January 8, a week after Lula took office, in an attempt to overthrow the new president.
Bolsonaro’s efforts to return to the political front line could be hampered by several investigations, including one into whether he instigated the January 8 uprising. Recent revelations from the Estado de S.Paulo newspaper about three boxes of valuable jewelry allegedly delivered to Bolsonaro by Saudi Arabia have exposed the former president to further legal risk.
His return to Brazil has been delayed several times and some had speculated that he could postpone it indefinitely due to his legal problems. Steve Bannon, a longtime Trump ally and considered a strategist for the global right, told the Brazilian daily Folha de S.Paulo this week that Bolsonaro should never have left the country, downplaying the investigations.
Now that Bolsonaro is back, his first goal will be to mobilize opposition to Lula’s government, said Mayra Goulard da Silva, a political scientist at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.
“Bolsonaro decided to return to Brazil because a clear leader in opposition to the government has not appeared,” Da Silva said. Otherwise, the gap could have been filled by someone else, he said.
Next year’s municipal elections are an important step to gain political momentum ahead of a possible presidential campaign in 2026. Bolsonaro is expected to back mayoral candidates from the Liberal Party who, if successful, can then use his position to bolster him. .
In addition to the diamond investigations, Bolsonaro is the subject of a dozen investigations by Brazilian electoral courts for his actions in last year’s election campaign, especially for his unsubstantiated claims that the electronic voting system was vulnerable to fraud. If he is convicted in any of these cases, he would be politically disqualified and would not be able to stand in the next elections.
International
Iran Rejects Negotiations With U.S. as Strait of Hormuz Remains Blocked Amid New Attack
Tensions remained high in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday after a vessel was hit by a projectile, despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s claims that negotiations with Iran were moving forward and that the strategic maritime route could reopen as early as Tuesday.
Tehran denied that direct talks were taking place, but Trump insisted that discussions were underway and described the situation as a final opportunity for Iran to reach an agreement.
“This is the last chance they have to sign a good document,” Trump told reporters at the White House, adding that the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz could happen “literally tomorrow” Tuesday.
The comments came after another escalation in rhetoric from Washington. Last week, Trump threatened Iran with military strikes before unexpectedly changing course on Sunday and announcing that negotiations with Tehran would resume.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baqai rejected the U.S. president’s version of events, stating that Tehran was not holding negotiations with Washington.
“At this moment, we are not negotiating with the United States. We are negotiating with Oman to guarantee safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz,” Baqai said.
Earlier, the Iranian official said that Tehran was close to reaching an agreement with Oman, which lies across the Strait of Hormuz, to reopen the crucial waterway that plays a key role in global energy trade.
The maritime route has remained blocked by Iran since the outbreak of hostilities following U.S. and Israeli strikes against the Islamic Republic on February 28.
Meanwhile, Yemen’s Houthi rebels announced Tuesday that they had launched an attack against an airport in Saudi Arabia. The Iran-backed group had previously disrupted the passage of Saudi vessels through the Red Sea, an alternative route used for crude exports by the world’s largest oil producer.
The continued instability in the region has raised concerns over global energy supplies, as the Strait of Hormuz remains one of the most important chokepoints for international oil shipments.
International
Lula Launches Re-Election Campaign Amid Rising Tensions With Trump
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is set to be officially nominated for re-election by his Workers’ Party (PT), marking the start of his campaign for a fourth presidential term.
The nomination takes place during the party’s national convention in São Paulo, Brazil’s economic hub, where around 3,000 supporters gathered to back the veteran leftist leader.
“Today I’m here because Lula’s policies changed my life and my family’s. Thanks to him, we finally own a home after eight generations without one,” said Cristiane Rosa Julho, a 51-year-old social worker attending the event dressed in the PT’s signature red.
Seeking the presidency for the seventh time in his political career, Lula is expected to face Senator Flávio Bolsonaro in next year’s election.
The 45-year-old senator is the son of former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, who has been jailed over his alleged role in an attempted coup following his defeat to Lula in the 2022 election.
The party convention opened with videos highlighting Lula’s social initiatives and speeches by four women praising his leadership, while supporters waved PT flags and held signs reading “We Want Lula as President” and “Brazil Is Not for Sale.”
The campaign begins amid growing tensions with the United States and President Donald Trump, a close ally of the Bolsonaro family who has openly backed several conservative candidates across Latin America.
Last week, Lula warned against foreign interference, declaring, “In Brazil, we do not accept anyone sticking their nose where it doesn’t belong.”
In July, the United States imposed two rounds of tariffs on Brazilian products, accusing the country of unfair trade practices. The measures followed earlier restrictions introduced in 2025, encouraged by Jair Bolsonaro’s son Eduardo Bolsonaro, in response to legal proceedings against the former president.
Lula has vowed to wage what he called a “war of truth against lies” in response to Washington’s pressure and accused Flávio Bolsonaro of undermining Brazil’s interests by allegedly helping the United States damage the country’s economy. The senator has denied the accusations.
The Brazilian president also claims Washington is attempting to influence the country’s political landscape in an effort to prevent his re-election.
International
Truck bomb attack near police station in Colombia leaves 14 injured ahead of presidential inauguration
A truck loaded with explosives exploded on Saturday near a police station in the Colombian city of Cúcuta, close to the Venezuelan border, leaving 14 people injured in an attack that occurred six days before president-elect Abelardo de la Espriella’s inauguration.
The blast took place in the early hours of the morning and was allegedly carried out by members of the National Liberation Army (ELN), who detonated a vehicle packed with explosives. According to the latest report from the Colombian Army, the attack injured 11 police officers and three civilians.
The explosion involved around 15 explosive devices, and two of the wounded officers are in critical condition and “fighting for their lives,” said William Villamizar, governor of Norte de Santander, the region where the attack occurred.
The incident comes amid Colombia’s worst wave of violence in the past decade, with armed groups expanding their presence in several areas of the country.
“I strongly condemn the cowardly terrorist attack carried out in Cúcuta against our National Police. Terrorism will not intimidate Colombia or break the determination of Colombians to live in peace and security,” De la Espriella said in a post on X.
The conservative lawyer, who has been described as a far-right figure, will take office on August 7, replacing Gustavo Petro, Colombia’s first left-wing president. The inauguration ceremony will be held in Cali, the country’s third-largest city and a frequent target of attacks by armed groups.
The United Nations condemned what it described as an “indiscriminate attack” that caused not only injuries but also “fear and distress among the population.”
De la Espriella has repeatedly warned about an alleged plot against his life. Meanwhile, President Gustavo Petro, who is currently visiting Cuba, has not commented on the attack. During his visit, Petro met with Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel to discuss what Havana describes as the United States’ “policy of suffocation” toward the island.
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